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Eating red onions may help to fight cancer

The tasty vegetable, commonly used in Mediterranean cuisine, is full of powerful compounds that help to kill tumours. One type known as anthocyanins, which are responsible for its dark colouring, are believed in inhibit the spread of the disease. While a flavonoid called quercetin has the same effects by shrinking the size of cancerous masses, experts say. But any type of onion, regardless of its colour, may help to destroy cancer, Canadian scientists claim.

Study author Abdulmonem Murayyan, of the University of Guelph, said: 'We found onions are excellent at killing cancer cells. Onions activate pathways that encourage cancer cells to undergo cell death. They promote an unfavourable environment for cancer cells and they disrupt communication between cancer cells, which inhibits growth. It makes sense that the red onions, which are darkest in colour, would have the most cancer-fighting power.'